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WMU's P.J. Fleck on Eastern Michigan shooting death: There are more important things than football

WMU football coach P.J. Fleck on EMU shooting deathWestern Michigan football coach P.J. Fleck talks about the tragedy the Eastern Michigan football program is dealing with after wide receiver Demarius Reed was found dead on Oct. 18 from multiple gunshot wounds. Fleck said he could not relate perfectly to EMU's situation, but said he understands what that can do to a football team.

"I can’t imagine what (EMU coach Ron English) is going through and what that team’s going through," Fleck said. "When I was at Rutgers we lost Eric LeGrand, not to a death, but with a broken neck. I saw what that does to a football program and to a team. …There are so many more things important than football. I mean so many more.

“When people look at ‘Row The Boat,’ that’s what it’s about. It’s about handling adversity and overcoming adversity and dealing with tragedies. …It’s absolutely terrible what has happened over there, but I know they are really strong people and Ron English is the leader of that team and he’s going to make sure they get through it.”

Saturday's game between WMU (1-8, 1-4 MAC) and Eastern Michigan (1-8, 0-5 MAC) in Ypsilanti is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3 (online).

Western Michigan, coming off a 31-30 win at UMass on Oct. 26, is looking to beat the Eagles for the first time since Nov. 13, 2010. WMU has not won at Rynearson Stadium since Nov. 14, 2009.